Videos by According2HipHop
Snoop Dogg is reflecting on one of the most significant fashion moments in hip-hop history — the night his wardrobe choice on Saturday Night Live helped introduce Tommy Hilfiger to an entirely new audience.
On March 19, 1994, Snoop performed “Gin and Juice” on SNL wearing an oversized red, white and blue Tommy Hilfiger rugby shirt with “TOMMY” prominently displayed across the chest. The appearance became a major cultural moment, and the impact on the brand was reportedly immediate.
According to accounts surrounding the performance, the exact rugby shirt Snoop wore sold out at major department stores across New York City the following day.
At the time, Tommy Hilfiger was already an established brand, but its identity was largely tied to traditional American sportswear and the clean-cut, preppy “Ivy League” aesthetic. Hip-hop artists began reinterpreting that look by purchasing Hilfiger clothing several sizes larger, creating a baggy version of preppy fashion that became a signature style throughout the 1990s.
Snoop’s nationally televised endorsement helped accelerate that shift.
Rather than resisting the brand’s growing popularity within hip-hop, Tommy Hilfiger embraced the audience. The company increasingly aligned itself with music and youth culture, eventually working with artists such as Aaliyah, Usher, Tupac Shakur and Puff Daddy through advertising, appearances and fashion events.
The relationship between Tommy Hilfiger and hip-hop became so influential that Snoop’s early co-sign has been credited with contributing to a reported $90 million increase in wholesale sales during the period.
The moment also demonstrated something hip-hop would repeatedly prove over the decades that followed: artists could do far more than simply wear a product. Their cultural influence could introduce brands to new consumers, redefine how those products were worn and ultimately change the direction of major companies.
Tommy Hilfiger would go on to become one of the defining fashion brands of the 1990s, with its oversized jackets, rugby shirts, jeans and logo-heavy pieces becoming fixtures throughout hip-hop and popular culture.
Years later, the company’s growth would culminate in PVH Corp.’s acquisition of Tommy Hilfiger in 2010 in a deal valued at approximately $3 billion.
For Snoop Dogg, what appeared to be a simple wardrobe decision for an SNL performance became part of a much larger story about hip-hop’s growing economic and cultural power.
One oversized Tommy Hilfiger shirt didn’t create the brand, but Snoop’s endorsement helped change who the world believed the brand was for.
Snoop Dogg holding my 1993 Tommy Hilfiger polo shirt while sharing the history behind why he wore it on SNL
— Ladé (@LadePlatinum) August 10, 2026
i’m standing to his right with the barkleys on https://t.co/6zzJv8sY6x pic.twitter.com/3xBbjvp3eD
